The boys have been exploring the back pastures, which is really fun because there are lots of big stumps and holes and logs to climb on, over and under. It is so fun to watch them because it reminds me of all the fun I had exploring the woods, creeks, and banks of the lake when I was growing up. Such a fun time of adventure and imagination. Of course as an adult and a homeschool mom I see so much learning out there! We lift up bark and see what critters are causing it to decomposing, find how they entered the bark, follow their trails, and see their different life stages. We investigate holes and look for tracks and hypothesize about who or what lives where. We collect rocks, leaves, and other debris to view under the microscope. But enough about all of this through my eyes, the boys just see it as fun.
Base Camp
Their big finds are a cave and a fort. The fort is an old burn pile, but not everything burned. So there are logs (bridges) to walk out on and pockets (rooms) where things did burn completely. It provides hours of fun.
The cave has also been a big hit. Originally I have to admit that I thought they had probably found a badger or snake hole, but after investigating it really is a sizable crevice opening up in the rocks. Right now the hole on top of the ground is only about 6 inches wide. I'm hopeful this is too small to encourage deeper exploration by the boys. And after we investigated it I covered it with a log and some large rocks to prevent the boys or a small goat from falling in.
